'The Voice' airs first at-home show to both positive and negative feedback
Following American Idol making TV history as the first major talent show to switch to at-home production during the pandemic, this Monday it was rival show The Voice’s turn to go remote, with the top 17 semifinalists performing for the public’s votes for the first time this season. Comparisons were inevitable, and in some ways The Voice didn’t measure up to the surprisingly high production standards already established by the home version of Idol. But in the end it still overall felt like The Voice, and true to the series’ talent-trumps-all agenda since Season 1. After soothing remote acoustic performance by Season 18 Mega-Mentor James Taylor and the contestants, the show got underway with host Carson Daly standing on a scaled-down soundstage in front of the coaches’ vacant red chairs -- but newbie coach Nick Jonas, who surely never expected to be experiencing his very first Live Playoffs (or, in this case, live-to-tape Playoffs) in lockdown, managed to bring a bit of the Voice set into his Los Angeles room by ingeniously creating his own DIY chair. Kelly Clarkson, sheltering in place on her Montana ranch, got in the spirit by donning one of her signature Team Kelly satin jackets, while Blake Shelton, in Oklahoma, showed off his girlfriend Gwen Stefani’s hair-and-makeup skills (and rapidly regrowing mullet) while freely admitting that he was happy to be working from home. Meanwhile, the urbane John Legend, also in L.A., fantasized about wanting to get out of house and take his wife to an Italian restaurant for date night. So yeah, all of the coaches were pretty much on-brand this Monday. Unfortunately, though, it seemed like all of the show’s production budget went towards making the coaches look good – so, also on brand with The Voice, come to think of it, the contestants got short shrift. Though the top 17 had supposedly been sent “state-of-the-art” video equipment to shoot their performances at home, their footage looked cheap and fuzzy – somewhere in that Venn-diagram center spot between ‘80s condo porn footage, green-screen Zoom background, make-your-own-music-video mall kiosk, public access cable TV, and bad Snapchat filter. Everything was so gauzy and grainy – were ring lights not include in those “state-of-the-art” video kits? – that it created a weird disconnect for me. American Idol definitely did a better job and making contestants’ performances feel intimate and direct. That being said, it was nice to see The Voice soldier on under such crazy circumstances. “As you know, the entire world changed dramatically since we taped the Knockouts. But just because we are all separated, it doesn't mean we can't come together from across the nation and celebrate and hear some great music,” said Carson.
Video Transcript
[THEMATIC ENTRY]
NICK JONAS: To be able to-- to be home at a time when so many people are on the front lines, doing what they can to help others. And so, to those that are-- are putting themselves in-- in harm's way to do that, thank you. And just know that from all of us at The Voice, we're so thrilled we get to do this-- even if it is different-- from our homes to you.
- The Voice's first live show in quarantine took place Monday night, as host Carson Daly filmed on The Voice stage in Los Angeles with just a small crew maintaining proper social distancing, while the coaches joined remotely, along with fans of the show in lieu of a live audience. And one by one, the top 17 performed for a shot in the top nine-- which is one of the biggest eliminations in the history of this show.
[MUSIC - MICHAEL WILLIAMS, "SIGN OF THE TIMES"]
MICHAEL WILLIAMS: (SINGING) Stop your crying, baby. It's a sign of the times. We've got to get away. We've got to get away.
- While the top 17 did the best they could under the circumstances, that didn't stop some viewers from criticizing the production value. Like this person who tweeted, "Watching The Voice tonight is like watching a string of really low-budget videos. The singing may not be bad, the video production is distracting."
However for every negative, there was a positive. Like this encouraging fan who tweeted, "A-plus to the team for amazing production and voice quality of the performances on tonight's show. Everyone's a winner in my book, for what I consider an excellent show."
While there were some differing opinions, one thing's for sure. The coaches were, per usual, still making jokes and trying to one-up each other.
NICK JONAS: Kelly, you may have jackets but I have a fancy chair with my name on it.
BLAKE SHELTON: (CHUCKLES)
NICK JONAS: So--
KELLY CLARKSON: (LAUGHS)
NICK JONAS: --there's that.
JOHN LEGEND: Exactly.
[THEMATIC EXIT]
